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Aeon Flux - Review

Review by Jack Foley

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IndieLondon Rating: 2 out of 5

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary By Charlize Theron And Producer Gail Anne Hurd; Commentary By Writers Phil Hay And Matt Manfredi; Creating A World Aeon Flux; The Locations Of Aeon Flux; The Stunts Of Aeon Flux; The Costume Design Workshop Of Aeon Flux; The Craft Of The Set Photographer On Aeon Flux; Theatrical Trailer.

BEWARE the female action heroine dressed in body-hugging outfits for it seems that proper clothes aren’t the only thing their films are lacking.

In recent times, we’ve witnessed Jennifer Garner failing to provide any spark in Elektra, Kate Beckinsale emerging toothless from the Underworld franchise and Halle Berry whipping up the worst reviews of her career in Catwoman.

Now comes Charlize Theron, fresh from her Oscar success in Monster, playing the secret assassin, Aeon Flux.

Dressed in tight black outfits that barely conceal her curves, Aeon exists in a futuristic society that has been decimated by a global virus.

Ruling the surviving population in the dystopian city of Bregna is a corporation run by Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas), whose descendants discovered the cure.

But their totalitarian regime is placed under threat from a resistance group known as the Monicans, who recruit Aeon to assassinate Goodchild in the hope of bringing about change and putting an end to the random kidnappings that are rife throughout the city.

Upon finding Goodchild, however, Aeon is shocked to discover that she is unable to carry out her mission following two shocking revelations that link her inexplicably to the egotistical leader.

Instead of killing him, she must find a way to protect Goodchild from his own party enemies, while also fending off a new batch of assassins sent to complete her task in the hope of learning the truth about the civilization.

Based on a series of popular animated shorts that aired on MTV, Aeon Flux is a good-looking but vacuous futuristic thriller that offers very little in the way of entertainment despite the presence of a strong cast (including Oscar nominees Pete Postlethwaite and Sophie Okenodo and Oscar winners Theron and Frances McDormand).

It begs too many questions that it consistently fails to answer and resorts to lame action sequences when a little more thought may have prevailed.

Hence, issues such as cloning and freedom of rights are skated over in favour of seeing Aeon perform her various acrobatics, leaving audiences to ponder far less interesting questions such as why a woman would choose to replace her feet with another pair of hands, or why Aeon would dress in black to conceal herself when everyone around her wears bright colours?

The ensuing thriller makes Michael Bay’s The Island – which dealt with similar issues – look like a masterpiece by comparison and wastes the time and talents of just about everyone involved.

The tagline on the poster states that ‘the future is Flux’, but by the time the film reaches its predictable conclusion it’s hard to give one.